Rune Factory 4 Analysis

Overview

“ Rune Factory 4 is a role-playing video game and is the sixth game in the Rune Factory series. It was released in Japan in July 2012, in North America in October 2013, and in PAL regions in December 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS. An enhanced version for the Nintendo Switch, titled Rune Factory 4 Special, was released in Japan in July 2019 and worldwide in February 2020. “ - Wikipedia

The game balances farming and daily mundane life with fierce and action-packed battles very well, each aspect linking up nicely with the others. For example, it is possible to grow crops that become dungeons that players can farm, or even weapons that come from crops themselves.

It was also one of the games I thoroughly enjoyed on the Nintendo 3DS. Now that it has been ported to the Nintendo Switch, I thought I’d pay tribute to this game by talking about one of my favourite areas, and how its story is cleverly integrated into its level design.

The Ghost Girl

The story begins a few days after Dylas, the previous boss monster, is turned into a citizen.
A rumour will be spread around the town of Selphia
Since the player has to interact with citizens everyday, it is inevitable that they will hear of these rumours and want to investigate into them

During this period, the player can see a ghost girl floating around town, seemingly looking for someone

After talking to everyone, the girl will appear at the entrance of the town. Upon talking to her, she will ask the player for help

Having heard about how the player saved the other 2 monsters, the girl demands the player to save Dolly. At this point the player has no idea who dolly and this girl is, but the game makes it immediately apparent that she is a part of the story, by mentioning other references like ‘Ven’ and ‘the other two’
She then directs the player towards the Obsidian Mansion

And rushes off saying she will wait for the player in the mansion
At this point, the player can either choose to continue with their daily tasks or head to the mansion. The story is not urgent and will wait for the player to decide when they’re ready to continue.
Exiting the town of Selphia and heading towards area C1 unlocks the next map.

Once there, the player will encounter Volkanon, the incredibly strong butler, and he will make a great show of building a bridge across to the other side in literal seconds

The player now has access to the Selphia Plains West map and the monsters in this area are considerably harder than the ones in Selphia Plain
Running to the left will bring the player to the Obsidian Mansion entrance
The mood becomes darker, as shown by the desaturation in the left area as compared to the grassy plains on the right.

The ghost girl is, as promised, waiting outside the mansion, which looks dark and gloomy.
The game introduces us to their first haunted house, and a save point is discovered so the player can fast travel to the mansion when they need to
Over at Obsidian mansion, regardless of the weather elsewhere, it is constantly raining in this area. Lightning and thunder strikes often and these all come together to give off a gloomy and foreboding atmosphere.

Side note:

Since the mobs in this area are stronger than the player at their current level, gating is extremely important
- Being in this area unlocks 3 of the more advanced areas in the game, and players can die very easily if they enter the wrong places
One example is entering Leon Karnark before they should, they are about 20 levels too early to go there and can very easily be killed.
- If players go up to Leon Karnak, they will find that they deal very little damage to the mobs and this will make them run off instinctively, knowing that it is not their time yet to go there.
The player is left alone to run around at their own pace and freedom, but the monsters are strong and serve as a warning that players shouldn’t be exploring this place this early in the game.
- Rather than limiting how much they can explore, players will set limits for themselves. More adventurous players could try to attempt these areas, while beginners could choose to play it safe.

Obsidian Mansion

Upon entering the mansion, the ghost girl is seen at the entrance, prompting the player to follow her
This is where she introduces herself as Pico, but before the player can ask any more questions, she rushes off and through a wall
The player then instinctively knows that they have to follow her.

The player is left alone to explore the room, again at their own pace
The player then examines the room, only to find that the door Pico supposedly went through is locked. They examine the portraits, examining the portrait on the right only shows a portrait of a man. The portrait on the left talks about Marionetta.

As if this dialogue wasn’t creepy enough, little atmospheric sounds like creaking floorboards, and timely music helps make the atmosphere just that little bit more spooky, preparing the player for what is to come next.
After interacting with the painting, the player now has many options to explore. Instead of making these options available from the start, the player could only interact with the paintings on the sides of the door, which immediately directs their attention there.
Feeling sufficiently spooked from the red words, the player may try to escape. Only to discover the door is now locked, effectively trapping the player inside. The player cannot warp back to town, and the player cannot leave through the front door.

The player then reads a diary, which talks about someone who was trapped in this very mansion and unable to get out. The player slowly continues to read until they reach a page where the words are red. If the player chooses to read this, the last entry of the diary is revealed, stating that the writer was unable to leave the mansion and was very much trapped here. It is in red, and the player finds out that the writer was indeed writing in red ink, except that it wasn’t red ink…

Reading on the player finds a clue within the diary of how to leave this place. The writer had left a silver key behind a painting and was finally free. But the diary ends on an ominous note and it is assumed that the writer was killed by someone, or something.
Again, the game doesn’t make the silver key easy to find from the start, encouraging players to interact with anything and everything in the room to find clues. It’s almost a little like playing some detective game.

At the left side of the main room, the player inspects and finds that something is dripping from the roof. It is implied that it is blood, as it is sticky and red, though it isn’t explicitly stated.

On the left of the main stairs, there is a crack the player can examine, which shows that there is someone watching them, however when they notice it, it disappears

Next to that, there is a picture of a woman, and behind that writes that they love their guests and will make portraits of them, they will be here forever

On the right side of the room below the stairs, the player can examine some spiderwebs, which further reinforces the fact that this mansion has been around for a long time, further amplifying the spookiness

Examining the painting to the right of the door shows that there is a key hidden behind it, but instead of silver like the diary mentioned, it was red.
This painting used to contain nothing, but only has a key after the player has read the diary.
The key is red, which immediately tells the player that something bad has definitely happened to the writer, and the key is now probably coated in dried blood.
All these little details really helps sell the idea that the player is in a haunted mansion, with a dark history and paints a creepy and dark atmosphere. By encouraging the player to explore the whole area and its options, the game is able to immerse the player in the story more.

Floor 1

The player can now enter the door, and into the combat areas.
There are 2 different floors to this level, but I won’t be showing the map until the end, as the player doesn’t actually get to see the whole map from the get-go. They have to explore and uncover all the different rooms in the levels. This also allows me to emphasise how storytelling plays a big part in the feel and flow of the map.
As the player enters the door and runs through the corridor, they discover a man following behind them, floating, a ghost.
- It’s also worth noting that the player is free to leave, the game doesn’t trap the player when there are actual mobs, so players won’t have to feel frustrated about not carrying the right equipment or be forced to play on.
- They were only trapped in the first room, when they were spooked out and it was easy to add to the creepy atmosphere.

When the player reaches the end of the corridor, the player is prompted to either turn around or stay put.
If the player chooses to turn around, a girl will laugh and the ghost will disappear. If the player doesn’t turn, the girl will laugh and the player will disappear.
There is a door in the center that if the player tries to go through, will be locked. This door can be unlocked in the next room.

Through the doors, the lights will flicker out and when players go to light a candle, they will find themselves surrounded by some monsters.
This way of ambushing the players is smart and thematically fits, which I found very creepy and definitely spooked me the first time.
The player cannot leave this area until they have defeated the monsters. The reaper monster will disappear and reappear, which can be quite dangerous for the player.
The monsters in this level are all spooky and ghosts, which again, adds to the spooky atmosphere.

If the player goes through the door in the center, they will enter a room with mobs and get an item. This door connects areas (label) and acts as a shortcut or alternative route for the player the next time they enter. At the end of the room, there are 2 chests, one containing a dual blade and the other 1800G.
- The game rewards players for their curiosity and makes them feel like they didn’t waste their time
Pico is waiting in the next room, and the player has to fight through a group of spiders. They try to tell her there is something wrong with the house, but she just dashes away in true Pico fashion.
While subtle, this is a good way to let players know they are on the right track.

The next room brings the player to an old worn room, with reapers spiders and a monster gate that they have to close. In the center of the room, a swinging chandelier will drop down on the player, taking down a good 25% of their hp.
- This was a clever element to include as in the previous room, while there was a similar swinging chandelier, it didn’t fall. So players were not expecting the chandelier to fall on them in the next room, which is why they will get hit by it, pushing the difficulty up as the players have their health reduced and still have to fight a horde of mobs.
- This happens every time the player enters the room, and is not just a one-time scripted event, which I found really neat.

In the next room, players are led to the outside grounds of the mansion, a long horizontal path, where Pico is waiting at the end. When the player runs across the corridor, and the thunder strikes, the ghost appears again.
This makes this long, linear corridor a little more fun to run through. As it would be empty and boring otherwise.
- Pico always waits at the end to assure the player they are going on the right track, so they wont feel lost.

In the last room in the 1st floor, a shadow panther jumps out from inside the mansion, denoted by the sound of a window breaking, and right into the player’s path.
It is a good ambush and a good reminder that the player is in a dangerous place.
It’s a cheap little jumpscare that probably won’t work a second time, but the first time through, players could get shocked by it, which enhances the storytelling just that little bit more.

Floor 2

In the first room of the second floor, the player encounters a new type of enemy. The slime, which is more resistant to physical attacks and will leech the life of the player with every attack they land.
Ensures that player cannot just rely on one type of weapon to get past this map
The area is barred until they clear the slimes. This is a subtle way of ensuring that the player will know how to defeat the monster.
- Whenever new mobs are introduced, the area will be barred.

In the room after the next, the player sees pico again, who says that they are almost there. And the ghost walks out of the wall after pico disappears, there are also two treasure chests. One is a monster box, also known as a mimic, while the other contains 2500G. This time the door at the end of the corridor is locked, and player has to go to the center door
- This ensures that the map isn’t too linear and predictable, as the middle room in the first floor was optional, and players could choose to go straight. This one isn’t which forces players to take the non-linear route.
- Again, it’s a small touch but it does make the level feel less linear

The player has learnt to be careful of swinging chandeliers, and avoid it. But as they run past, a bunch of soft toys fall from above, foreshadowed by a lone Wooly plush twitching erratically at the beginning of the room.
This creates an element of surprise, and the player could not have anticipated this coming, which keeps the map unpredictable, right when the player thought they had learnt its patterns.
- Takes a good 25% of their hp away if they are hit by one
- If the player has a party member, this can take out a good 50% or more of their health, bringing the difficulty spike up once more

In the next room, Pico waits outside the door, with a giant monster, ghost ray, next to her. She says that Dolly is right on the other side of the corridor, with a stern expression, and dashes off, leaving the player to fend off the miniboss.
Appearance of a new miniboss hypes the player up for the battle to come as well as give them a gauge of how their level fares against the miniboss and an idea of whether they are prepared for the fight or not.
After defeating the ghost ray, a warp point spawns and the player can warp back to the beginning of the map, the entrance hallway. A save point also appears, allowing them to save their progress before possibly dying at the hands of the boss in the next room.

In the next room, which is the boss room, it seems like a banquet of sorts, with a stage taking up most of the space.
Pico is seen standing in the center of the room waving excitedly and shouting for Dolly, she walks around and keeps searching for her, saying she is here for her.
It is at this time when Marionetta appears, with a burst of soft toys, showing who was behind all the ministrations earlier.
Pico feels sad as her old friend doesn’t seem to recognize her and demands the player to save her friend.

The battle ensues and the player has to find and figure out how they should defeat the boss. As well as avoid her attacks.
While the soft toys she throws doesn’t hurt the player much, if the player gets careless they could lose some health as she uses that attack often
One of her more devastating attacks involves throwing the players into a chest and stabbing it with knives, taking out half of the player’s health
She has a black beam attack that shoots in the direction of the player or their party and can take out 50% of their health
Her spinning attacks are also very painful to endure and when she gets mad her attacks increase in frequency, as well as an introduction of a new attack, flying furniture, which deals about a 100 damage to the player.
Something that isn’t made obvious to the players at a glance that players can actually interact with the tables and chairs in the room, they can throw it at marionette and it deals a solid 100 damage at the least.
- This is probably so that players will have to figure it out themselves after dying many times.
- These furniture items do not have the blue arrow on them, which immediately causes the player to dismiss them as simple props.
- Due to this, it’s not surprising for the player to never find out that they can use them as weapons.
- A possible improvement would be showing the blue arrows after the boss goes into berserk mode at half health. Since difficulty spikes up, it’s only fair to show the player an easier way to defeat the boss.

After defeating Marionetta, she transforms into a human, who passes out when Pico jumps on her. The player then follows Pico out of the mansion and finds out that it is just a bridge away from the town of Selphia, with Volkanon building it of course.

This is a small detail, but one that wraps up the story nicely. Since the player first encountered Volkanon building a bridge at the start of this story, seeing Volkanon build a bridge again, this time connecting to the town of Selphia, seems like a fitting end.

It lets the player know that this story is over for now.

Now, let’s take a look at the actual level map.

Looking at the map, it looks pretty linear and seems boring to go through.

However, the storytelling and the strategic placements of enemies really made it seem more than just a straight line. The story in this level definitely played a big part in making the level interesting, engaging and challenging, always keeping the player on their toes.

Conclusion

I had a lot of fun analysing this level as when I played the game, I was very spooked out by the story and never wanted to revisit it.

Discovering the small props and dialogue used to make the level cohesive and deliver an atmosphere of gloom and spookiness was very enlightening. I've never experienced such a level in any other 3DS game before, the storytelling was honestly just impeccable and the way it tied in with the combat and actual level design was just pure genius.

I would like to analyse levels from other games to see how they measure up against this one in the future.

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References

Image references are linked in the image where applicable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxD_jTDxOBM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5eWLINC3JY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUPuz78Ea2k&t=891s